Optical fiber connectors are an essential part of practically all optical fiber communication systems. For instance, such connectors are used to join segments of fiber into longer lengths, to connect fiber to active devices such as radiation sources, detectors and repeaters, and to connect optical fiber to passive devices such as switches and attenuators. The principal function of an optical fiber connector is to couple optically a fiber with a mating device (e.g., another fiber, an active device or a passive device) by holding the end of the fiber such that the core of the fiber is axially aligned with an optical pathway of the mating device.
A fiber optic cable typically comprises a cable jacket containing a centrally-located buffered fiber. Frequently, the cable also comprises strength members surrounding the buffered fiber. The purpose of the strength members is to absorb any pulling forces applied to the cable, and thereby leave the buffered fiber isolated and unloaded from those forces.
An import aspect of terminating a fiber with a connector is to secure the cable to the connector. To this end, the buffered fiber is typically fixated to the connector housing. Further, if the cable comprises strength members, these members are captivated by the connector at certain points such that any load on the cable is transferred to the captivation points only and not to the fragile fiber strand. Typically, the cable strength members are crimped onto the backend of the connector housing. To do this, a crimp tool is used to crimp an eyelet over the strength members, thereby captivating the strength members between the eyelet and the backend of the connector housing. The eyelet is usually crimped with sufficient force such that it not only captivates the strength members, but also squeezes the backend of the connector housing around the buffered fiber. Thus, crimping the eyelet to the backend of the connector simultaneously secures the strength members and the buffered fiber to the connector. Such a crimp is permanent and cannot be reversed.
Although robust crimp eyelets have been developed that withstand high loading while minimizing fiber damage, Applicant has identified a number of potential shortcomings with them. First, a traditional crimp eyelet requires a crimping tool to crimp it on to the backend of the housing. The need for tools naturally involves an additional cost associated with acquiring them and replacement as loss happens frequently in the field. Aside from requiring a tool, this termination approach also tends to be cumbersome as the user must arrange the strength members over the backend of the housing and then hold the cable and connector in a precise position while crimping the eyelet. The cumbersome nature of this procedure can lead to error in the eyelet crimping, resulting in variations in the integrity of the crimp and possibly damage to the fiber. Complicating this problem is the fact that traditional eyelets are not reusable. Once the eyelet is crimped, it cannot be reversed. Consequently, if the optical performance is not acceptable after the fiber is terminated, the connector must be cut off and scrapped.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved approach for securing an optical cable to a connector that does not require a tool and that can be reversed if the termination of the fiber needs to be reworked. While some approaches have been developed that offer reversible captivation of the strength members, these approaches require the buffered fiber to be secured in a separate step. Applicant has therefore identified a need for a reversible, tool-less cable attachment approach that is flexible enough that it secures not only the buffered fiber, but also secures strength members if present in the cable. The present invention fulfills this need among others.